Death of Man in Officer-Involved Shooting Ruled Suicide

The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled that the man involved in Tuesday’s officer-involved shooting died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Gwinnett Police identified the man as Hien Trong Luong, 62, who they say shot himself in front of police at a residence at 3822 Jackson Shoals Drive near Lawrenceville around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. Police spokesman Cpl. Jake Smith said a detective fired a single shot immediately following the first shot, which missed Luong.

Smith said two GCPD detectives were at the home to talk to witnesses in a terroristic threats case when Luong reportedly pulled up in a minivan, left the vehicle running and approached the front door.

Here’s Gwinnett Police’s account of what happened next:

“Luong knocked on the door and it was answered by the primary detective. The detective recognized the suspect and identified himself as a police officer. The detective ordered the suspect to remove his hands from his pockets, which the suspect refused to do. After a brief time, the suspect produced a handgun from his pocket, which he pointed at his own head. The suspect refused all orders from both detectives to drop the weapon. After just a few seconds, the suspect fired a single shot, striking himself in the head. The primary detective fired a single shot immediately after, which missed the suspect. Luong died at the scene.”

The medical examiner’s office ruled the death a suicide, Smith said.

The investigation by the Deadly Force Investigation Team — which is comprised of members from multiple GCPD units — is ongoing. Smith said GCPD does not use outside agencies to investigate officer-involved shootings.

The detective who fired the shot at Luong is on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure.